Is Thor the best pitcher in all of the baseball world?
Noah Syndergaard’s confidence is at an all-time high coming off a locked-in Spring Training which has resulted in a dominating start to the season. His superior work ethic, particularly in the weight room where he reportedly squats over 500 pounds, has the imposing right-hander routinely breaking radar guns. Syndergaard has certainly come a long way from last year’s Spring Training that saw Captain David Wright confront him about eating lunch in the clubhouse during an intrasquad game. The right-hander hurled twelve fastballs within the first two innings of his last start against the Phillies that were clocked at at least 100 mph.
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Mets’ broadcast analyst and former champion, Ron Darling, even went as far as to compare him to the legendary Nolan Ryan. Expect the burly right-hander to continue to rise up to the occasion amidst increasing expectations this year. After all, he is stands even taller under pressure that his 6 ft. 6 frame would suggest. With speculation swirling in his ’16 debut of retaliation from the Royals after his high and in pitch to Alcides Escobar in last year’s Fall Classic, Syndergaard proceeded to dominate the Royals to the tune of nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings. Moreover, he accounted for the only Mets’ World Series win last year against the Royals and recently showcased his masterful form by out-pitching fellow divisional peer and flamethrower Jose Fernandez. If anything, “Thor’s” velocity somehow ameliorated this year to an average tune of 98.4 mph from from last season’s 97 miles per hour (according to MLB StatCast) despite throwing the heaviest workload of his life last season by a landslide.
To show you how devastating the second year pitcher was even as a rookie, the right-hander became the first rookie since 1900 to win two consecutive starts with 9+ K’s while walking none, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Add his 6.9 extension rate (according to MLB StatCast) and the 6 ft. 6 hurler is ultimately lands around fifty two feet from the plate when releasing the ball, often leaving helpless hitters aghast at the plate. Leading the bigs with an average fastball rate of 98.4 mph, only three of the pitchers in the top 20 on this list are actually starting pitchers. This serves as yet another ode to the rising star’s fitness and ability to maintain velocity deep into games. This is not even surprising considering the Texas native led baseball in 100+ mph heaters last year despite missing the first month of the year making mincemeat of hopeless hitters in Triple A. Continuing his auspicious career start, Syndergaard has fanned 29 in 20 innings this year en route to a 0.90 ERA and .95 WHIP. Moreover, he is first in WAR among pitchers according to Baseball-Reference. Another primary factor that has certainly contributed to his dazzling year has been respected pitching coach Dan Warthen. After not even throwing a slider last season, pitching coach Dan Warthen helped him implement one into his budding arsenal. Making him hold the slider deeper in his hand has allowed Thor to put less stress on his elbow. It also doesn’t hurt that Warthen requires all his pitchers to observe each others’ bullpen sessions. I am sure the intimidating hurler can learn a thing or two from his fellow dynamic teammates ranging from Matt Harvey to Jacob deGrom. Ironically, Syndergaard is the only member of New York’s fearsome starting pitching quintet to not fall victim to Tommy John Surgery but as long as he keeps unleashing devastating 95 mph sliders on opponents, I doubt people will dwell on it. In the words of the recently ESPN-ousted (yet baseball luminary) Curt Schilling, his “ceiling is “as high (as) or higher than anyone’s in the game”.
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Anthony Castellano is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Anthony, check out his archive and follow him @AcasNY23.
